Formation-sampling apparatus



March 4, 1969 H. J. URBANOSKY FORMATION-SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed June29, 1967 Sheet of 6 Haro/d J (/fawaJ/y INVENTOR.

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FORMATION-SAMPLING APPARATUS v v of 6 Sheet Filed June 29, 1967INVENTOR.

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FORMATION- SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1967 Sheet 4 of 6 'Nm i I65 f L 7,0 i 1 i Haro/d U/QWOJ@ INVENTOR.

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BY f Z Afro/MEV Marh 4, 1969 .1. URBANosKY FORMATIONSAMPLING APPARATUSShelet Filed June 29, 1967 .Y M @m /.m wm Mo W W ,Mm A j w M W HW UnitedStates Patent O 3,430,716 FORMATION -SAMPLIN G APPARATUS Harold J.Urbanosky, Houston, Tex., assignor to Schlumberger TechnologyCorporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed June 29, 1967,Ser. No. 649,976

U.S. Cl. 175-78 22 Claims Int. Cl. E21b 3/08, 9/22, 49/02 ABSTRACT F THEDISCLOSURE and, by reversing the direction of the carriers travel, re-

turned to their initial position while still retracted. One or moreselectively-operated sample receivers are provided to receive formationsamples and keep these samples segregated from one another.

Heretofore, formation samples have usually been obtained from previouslydrilled boreholes by explosively propelling into the adjacent wall of aborehole one or more tubular bodies or so-called bullets havingappropriately arranged forward cutting edges. As these bullets penetratethe borehole wall, a generally cylindrical core of the formationmaterial is driven into each bullet so that, when the bullets aresubsequently retrieved, the cores in each will be recovered at thesurface for examination. Typical of such core-taking bullets are thoseshown in Patents Nos. 2,678,804, 2,923,530, 3,072,202 and 3,220,490.

It is recognized, of course, that although such coretaking bullets havebeen highly successful, the most ideal arrangement would be to obtain acontinuous sample of an earth formation from along a substantialvertical interval of a borehole. Heretofore, this has not beencommercially feasible at least from boreholes that have been previouslydrilled.

One tool as shown in Patent No. 3,173,500 has been proposed, however, inwhich a pair of rotatable cutting wheels are cooperatively arranged tolbe extended outwardly to cut their way into an adjacent formation.Then, as they are slowly raised, the cutting wheels Will cut anelongated wedge-shaped formation sample out of the borehole wall. Thissample is caught in a chamber in the tool and returned to the surface.It will be appreciated, of course, that this tool is capable ofobtaining only one formation sample and must be returned to the surfaceand reconditioned before another formation sample can be obtained.

It will also be appreciated, of course, that the arrangement of thispatented tool does not permit particularly long cuts to be made sincethe extent of the upward travel of the piston will be determined by thepoint at which the connecting rod contacts the lower edge of the pistonchamber. Enlargement of the piston chamber is of no particular advantagesince this requires a still larger dump chamber which, in turn, makesthe tool still longer. Moreover, this tool is capable of obtaining onlyone formation sample and must be returned to the surface andreconditioned before another sample can be obtained.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved core-slicing tool that is ca- 3,430,716 Patented Mar. 4,1969 pable of obtaining elongated formation samples that aresignificantly longer than have been collected heretofore.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide new andimproved sample collectors for receiving and segregating a plurality offormation samples as they are cut from one or more positions in aborehole.

These and other objects of the present invention are obtained byconnecting a suitable prime mover to one or more cylinders slidablydisposed over a corresponding number of elongated longitudinal rods thatare secured at their opposite ends to a support. A piston on each rod issealingly received in its respective cylinder and at least one portionof the cylinder is fluidly sealed around the elongated rods to define anenclosed chamber. :Suitable means are provided to develop sufficientpressure in the enclosed chambers for moving the prime moverlongitudinally along the elongated rods. Formation-cutting means, suchas a cooperatively arranged pair of rotatable cutting wheels, areconnected by power-transmission means to the prime mover. By means ofappropriatelyarranged guide means, the cutting wheels are successivelyextended, moved along a predetermined cutting path, and then retractedas the prime mover travels along the elongated rods. The guide means arealso arranged to allow the cutting wheels to then be returned to theirinitial position while still retracted.

Other objects of the present invention are also obtained by tandemlyconnecting a number of sample collectors below a sample-taking devicethat is adapted to obtain a plurality of formation samples. As eachformation sample is taken, it is allowed to fall into a preselected oneof a number of upright tubes mounted for rotation about the longitudinalaxis of each of the sample receivers. Means are provided to rotate eachof the tubes into position for receiving a `sample in response toactuation of the sampletaking device. In this manner, as the formationsamples are taken, each will be deposited into a predetermined one ofthe sample-receiving compartments and can be later identified as beingobtained at a particular position in a borehole. Once all of thesample-receiving tubes or compartments in one collector are filled,selectively operable means are included for blocking further access tothat collector and then sequentially bringing predetermined ones ofsample-receiving compartments in the next adjacent sample collector intoposition to receive additional samples.

The novel features of the present invention are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims. The operation together withfurther objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by way ofillustration and example of certain embodiments when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

F-IGURE 1 depicts a core-slicing tool arranged in accordance with thepresent invention in a borehole and in position to obtain an elongatedformation sample;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic representation of the intermediate portion ofthe tool shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View of a core-slicing tool shown inFIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic representation of a typical arrangement of agroove system that may be employed with the tool shown in FIGURES 1 and2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial cross-sectional View taken along the lines 5-5 inFIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the motion-translating means employedwith the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 in FIGURE6;

FIGURES 8 and 10 respectively show successive positions of themotion-translating means shown in FIG- URE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 in FIGURE8;

FIGURES 11A and 11B are sectional views of two sample receivers of thepresent invention;

FIGURES l2 and 13 are cross-sectional views respectively taken along thelines 12-12 and 13-13 in FIG- URE 11A;

FIGURE 14 is an exploded view of a portion of one of the samplereceivers shown in FIGURE 11A; and

FIGURE 15 is a schematic representation of an electronic circuit for usein determining the operating position of the cutting wheels of thecore-slicing tool shown in FIGURE 1.

Turning now to FIGURE l, a core-slicing tool arranged in accordance withthe present invention is shown suspended from a cable 21 in a borehole22 and in position to obtain an elongated prismatic or wedge-shapedsample 23 from the adjacent wall of an earth formation 24. As seen inFIGURE 1, the tool '20 is preferably comprised of a number of tandemlyconnected housings 25-28 enclosing the various components of the tooland dependently supporting one or more sample receivers 29 and 30arranged in accordance with the present invention.

The upper housing 25 preferably encloses typical circuitry for locatingthe tool l20 at a desired position in the borehole 22 as well ascircuitry for controlling the various components in the tool andtransmitting information and power through the various conductors in thesuspension cable 21. The next lower housing 26 preferably includessuitable longitudinally spaced, hydraulically actuated pistons 31 forselectively extending a wall-engaging member 32 on the rear of the tool120 laterally against one side of the borehole 22 to shift the forwardface of the coreslicing tool in the opposite direction. To make thewallengaging member 32 selectively operable from the surface, areversible hydraulic pump 33 and chamber 34 (shown in dashed lines) arearranged to extend and retract the wallengaging member by pumpinghydraulic uid into the piston chambers behind or ahead of the pistons31. By maintaining an increased hydraulic pressure lbehind the pistons31, the wall-engaging member 32 will, of course, urge the forward faceof the tool 20 against the opposite wall of the borehole 22 with acorresponding force.

As will subsequently be explained in more detail with respect to FIGURES2 and 3, the intermediate housing 27 encloses a pair of similar cuttingwheels 35 that are respectively mounted in converging vertical planesand arranged to rotate about independent, outwardly diverging axes lyinggenerally in the same horizontal plane and intersecting each other at asuitable angle. A longitudinal opening 36 is provided along the forwardwall of the housing 27 diametrically opposite from the wall-engagingmember 32. The cutting wheels 35 are suitably arranged and sized inrelation to one another that, when extended, their peripheral edges willpass through the housing opening 36 and all -but come together at aboutthe point of intersection of the three aforementioned planes. Thus, bymoving the wheels 35 in unison in a generally vertical direction, thegenerally wedge-shaped or triangular prismatic sample 23 will be cutfrom the adjacent formation 24.

To gain entrance for the cutting wheels 35 into the formation 24, means(to be subsequently described) are provided for advancing the cuttingwheels outwardly and upwardly through the housing opening 16 to theiroutermost lateral position. Then, after a longitudinal cut of apredetermined length has been made, the cutting wheels 35 are returnedalong an upwardly inclined path and back through the housing opening 36until they are fully retracted. The cutting wheels 35 then return totheir original starting position while still fully retracted.

As will subsequently be explained in more detail, the sample receivers29 and 30 of the present invention of the tool 20 are respectivelyarranged to successively receive core samples as they are cut and keepthem segregated from one another. Generally speaking, each of these corereceivers 29 and 30 are so arranged that a plurality of movable memberstherein dening separate compartments in each (not shown in FIGURE l) aresequentially positioned to successively receive formation samples as thetool 20 is operated. In this manner, the tool 20 can be employed on asingle trip in the borehole 22 to obtain a large number of formationsamples which are separately disposed in these compartments in apredetermined order.

Turning now to FIGURE 2, a schematic representation is shown of theintermediate housing 27 of the tool 20 in which the cutting wheels 35are confined. In general, the cutting wheels 35 are operatively mountedrbelow an enclosed housing or enclosure 37 that is in turn secured totwo parallel tubular members 38 (both seen in FIGURE 3). These tubularmembers 38 are each slidably disposed about substantially longer,parallel longitudinal rods 39 (both seen in FIGURE 3) that are securedonly at their upper and lower ends to the tool housing 27 and spacedaway from the rear wall of the housing. The opposite ends of the tubularmembers 38 are slidably sealed around the elongated rods 39. A pistonmember 40 (only one shown in FIGURE 2) is xed at an intermediateposition on each of the elongated rods 39 and slidably sealed relativeto the internal bore of its associated tubular member 38 to dene thereinseparate upper and lower uid-tight chambers 41 and 42.

Acordingly, it will be appreciated that by developing a higher fluidpressure in the upper hydraulic chambers 41 than that in the lowerhydraulic chambers 42, the tubular members 38 and enclosure 37 connectedthereto will be moved upwardly along the elongated rods 39 relative tothe tool housing 27. Similarly, by imposing a higher pressure in thelower hydraulic chambers 42 than that in the upper hydraulic chambers41, the enclosure 37 will travel downwardly along the rods 39.

To develop such higher pressures in the chambers 41 and 42, a suitablereversible hydraulic pump 43 is mounted within the enclosure 37. Fluidlines 44 and 45 are respectively connected between the hydraulicchambers 41 and 42 and the pump 43. By selecting a motor-drivenhydraulic pump 43 and filling the chambers 41 and 42 with a suitablehydraulic fluid, the pump can be selectively operated from the surfaceto transfer uid between the hydraulic chambers to accomplish the desiredtravel of the enclosure 37 along the elongated rods 39.

By arranging a typical bellows or piston (neither shown) at a convenientpoint in a wall of the enclosure, the hydraulic fluid in the enclosure37 and chambers 41 and 42 will be maintained at a pressure at leastequal to the hydrostatic pressure of fluids or so-called mud in theborehole 22. In this manner, by pressure-balancing the hydraulic system,the hydraulic pump 43 needs only to. develop a pressure suicient toovercome the weight of the enclosure 37 and whatever friction there maybe encountered in moving the cutting wheels 35 and enclosure.

To power the cutting wheels 35, an electric motor 46 is also fitted intothe enclosure 37 and its shaft 47 connected to the cutting wheels by auniversal joint 48, another shaft 49 and a right-angle gear drive 50having outwardly diverging wheel axles 57 at an angle to one another. Byarranging the cutting wheel motor 46 in the enclosure 37, it will alsobe pressure-balanced in the same manner as the motor for the pump 43.Similarly, as best seen in FIG- URE 3, by enclosing the shafts 47 and 49and universal joint 48 in an oil-filled tube 52 that is fluidly sealedat its opposite ends to the enclosure 37 and gear drive 50 and in fluidcommunication with each, these members will also be pressure-balanced.

A pair of depending arms 53 disposed on opposite sides of the protectivetube 52 are connected at their lower ends to the gear drive 50 andpivotally connected at their upper ends to the enclosure 37 so as topivot about an axis lying generally in the same horizontal plane as thepivotal axes of the universal joint 48. Outwardly-biased pins 54 (bothseen in FIGURE 3) near the free ends of the pivoted arms 53 are slidablydisposed in a labyrinthlike system of grooves 55 (only one system seenin FIG- URE 2) formed in the interior side Walls of the intermediatehousing 27 on opposite sides of the longitudinal opening 36 therein. Aswill subsequently be explained, these groove systems 55 are so arrangedthat upward longitudinal travel of the enclosure 37 from its lowermostposition to its uppermost position (shown in dashed lines in FIG- URE 2)will be effective (through the coaction of the guides 54 in theirrespective groove systems 55) to direct the cutting wheels 35 along thepath A-B-C-D depicted in FIGURE 2. Then, upon downward travel of theenclosure 37 `back to its lowermost position as shown in FIGURE 2, thegroove systems 55 and guides 54 will direct the cutting -wheels 35 alongthe path D-A toward their initial position at A.

As seen in FIGURE 4, the groove systems 55 are arranged in a closed loophaving two. parallel longitudinal portions 56 and 57 of unequal lengthand spaced apart from one another. The shorter grooves 57 are connectedat their opposite ends to the longer grooves 56 by oppositely-directedinclined grooves 58 and 59 which respectively intersect the longergrooves at longitudinally spaced intermediate points.

Accordingly, as the cutting wheels 35 move along the path A-B, they willbe moving upwardly and outwardly as they cut their way into. theformation 24. Then, as the cutting wheels 35 move further upwardly fromtheir position at B to their position at C, they Will -be cutting alonga straight path of a length determined by the length of the shortergrooves 57. Upon reaching their position at C, the cutting wheels 35will be retracted as they move further upwardly and cut their way towardtheir position at D. Thus, once the cutting wheels 35 have reached theposition at D, a prismatic sample 23 with tapered ends will have beencut out of the formation 24 and, as later explained, will drop into oneof the core-receivers 29 and 30 therebelow.

The groove systems 55 must, of course, be arranged to. insure that theguide pins 54 are diverted into the lower inclined grooves 58 as theenclosure 37 moves upwardly. Similarly, when the enclosure 37 hasreached its uppermost position (as shown in dashed lines in FIGURE 2),it is necessary that the guide pins 54 be prevented from re-entering theupper grooves 59 so that the cutting wheels 35 can proceed directly backto their initial position at A.

Accordingly, means are provided to direct the guide pins 54 in apredetermined direction around the circuitous groove systems 55 butprevent these pins from moving in the opposite direction. As seen inFIGURES 4 and 5, an abutment 60 is provided in the lower portion of eachof the longer grooves 56 just above its intersection with the groove 58for preventing the guide pins 54 from entering the longer grooves asthey move upwardly. To facilitate the passage of the guide pins 54, thefaces of the abutments 60 are extended along the line of the downwardlyfacing wall of the lower inclined grooves 53 as shown in FIGURE 4.Similarly, to insure that the guide pins 54 will not re-enter the upperend of the upper inclined grooves 59 as the enclosure 37 is returneddownwardly, an abutment 61 (similar to that at 60) is located across theentrance to the upper end of each of the upper inclined grooves 59. Hereagain, to facilitate the passage of the guide pins 54, the faces of theabutments 61 are made as a continuation of the right-hand (as viewed inFIGURE 4) side walls of the longer grooves 56. The height of eachabutment, as at 60, is made less than the total depth of its associatedgroove 56 and an inclined ramp or surface, as at 62 (FIGURE 5), isprovided from the bottom of each groove 56 up to the upper surface ofeach abutment, with these inclined surfaces rising in the direction fromwhich the guide pins 54 will be coming. Thus, as the spring-biased guidepins 5ft approach the Cil abutments 60, for example, they can retractsufliciently to move up the inclined surfaces 62 as the enclosure 37 ismoved downwardly. "Once the guides 54 reach the abrupt faces of theabutments 60', their biasing springs 63 (FIG- URE 3) will urge themoutwardly to return them to their normal extended position. The inclinedramps or surfaces 64 (FIGURE 4) on the lower ends of the upper abutments61 in the grooves 59 will, of course, function in the sa-me manner.

It will be noted in FIGURE 2 that the upper ends of the longer grooves56 extend a considerable distance above the junction of these grooveswith the upper inclined grooves 59. Although this extension of thelonger grooves 56 is not required to guide the movements of the cuttingwheels 35, the enclosure 37 itself is further stabilized by providinglongitudinally spaced internal guides (not shown) on each side thereofwhich are adapted to remain at all times in these longer longitudinalgrooves. These stabilizing guides are always above the abutments 60 inthe longer grooves 56 and will, therefore, move freely in the grooves.

Turning now to FIGURES 6, 8 and 10, cross-sectional elevational viewsare shown of the housing 28 coupled immediately `below the intermediatetool housing 27. In the housing 28, motion-translating means 65 arearranged for moving the sample receivers 29 and 30 therebelow intoposition to receive successive formation samples, as at 23. Thereceivers 29 and 30 are basically comprised of a plurality of uprighttubes 66 that are equally spaced about axial shafts 67 rotatably mountedin their respective housing 68, with these tubes being adapted to ibesequentially rotated about the longitudinal axis of the receivers into apredetermined angular position to receive one of the formation samples23. As will subsequently be explained in greater detail, means areprovided to close the lower ends of the tubes 66h in the lowermostreceiver 30. Moreover, means are also provided to close-off thelowermost receiver 30 once it is believed to be filled.

Accordingly, inasmuch as the sample-receiving tubes 66 rotate about thelongitudinal axes of the receivers 29 and 30, the motion-translatingmeans 65 seen in FIGURES 6, 8 and 10 are arranged to index thesample-receiving tubes a predetermined increment of one revolution foreach complete cyle of the enclosure 37. To accomplish this, themotion-translating means 65 are provided with an upright spindle 69 thatis iournalled at each end to the housing 28. To provide clearance forformation samples falling through the housing 28 into the samplereceivers 29 and 30 therebelow, the spindle 69 is displaced laterallytoward the rear of the housing. An upright tubular guide 70 is securedadjacent to the front wall of the housing 28 and includes a belled upperend immediately below the place where it is expected that a formationsample 23 will enter the longitudinal housing opening 36 once the sampleis cut free.

The spindle 69 is provided with a number of circumferentially spacedlongitudinal grooves 71 that are separated from one another by helicalor slightly inclined grooves 72 extending between the upper and lowerends of the longitudinal grooves. As seen in FIGURES 6, 9 and 10, thebottom end of each of these helical grooves 72 opens into the lowerportion of that one of the longitudinal grooves 7l immediately adjacentthereto on one side; and the upper end of this same helical groove opensinto the upper portion of that one of the longitudinal groovesimmediately adjacent thereto but on the opposite side of the helicalgroove.

In this manner, the grooves 71 and 72 form a continuous, uninterruptedbut alternating path completely around the circumference of the spindle69. Thus, by -beginning at a given point in any one of the grooves 71 or72, a continuous path can be traced by following the alternate changesin direction around the spindle 69 and on back to the original startingpoint. Since four samplereceiving tubes 66 are preferably employed inthe sample receivers 29 and 30 of the present invention, the spindle 69has four equally spaced longitudinal grooves 71 interposed between fourequally spaced helical grooves 72, with each of the helical groovesconnecting the top of one longitudinal groove to the bottom of the nextadjacent longitudinal groove.

A spring-biased, 'laterally projecting cam follower 73 is mounted on asliding block 74 loosely connected to the lower end of an uprightactuating member 75, with this block being slidably mounted on the rearwall of the housing 28 by a key and longitudinal slot arrangement 76 forreciprocating longitudinal travel relative thereto. The free end of thespring-biased cam follower 73 is received in one of the spindle grooves71 or 72. Thus, as will be appreciated, longitudinal travel of theactuating member 75 `will shift the cam follower 73 in a correspondingdirection along whichever one of the spindle grooves 71 and 72 the camfollower is then in. Thus, as the cam follower 73 is moved along one ofthe helical grooves 72, the spindle 69 will be rotated an amountcorresponding to the lead of the helical grooves. Movement of the camfollower 73 along the longitudinal grooves 71 will, of course, produceno rotation of the spindle 69.

Accordingly, the four sets of grooves 71 and 72 will result in thespindle 69 being indexed 90 for each cycle that the actuating member 75is reciprocated. Although the reverse arrangement could be used, it ispreferred to rotate the spindle 69 as the actuating member 75 is moveddownwardly with respect to the housing 28. Thus, in a typical operation,the actuating member 75 is initially at its lower limit of travel andthe cam follower 73 is near the bottom of one of the longitudinalgrooves 71 (FIG- URE 9). As the enclosure 37 moves upwardly, a dependingprobe 77 secured to the enclosure and releasably coupled to the upperend of the actuating member 75 pulls the actuating member and sliding`block 74 upwardly. The cam follower 73 is pulled upwardly by thismotion along one of the longitudinal grooves 71.

By means to be subsequently described, the actuating member 75 isreleased from the probe 77 and latched in position to the housing 28when the cam follower 73 has reached the upper end of the longitudinalgroove 71 it is in at the moment so that the uncoupled probe cancontinue on upwardly along with the enclosure 37 (FIGURE l). Then, whenthe enclosure 37 returns toward its initial position, the dependingprobe 77 will again be coupled to the actuating member 75 and, once theactuating member is released from the housing 28, it and the slidingblock 74 will be returned to their initial positions. As the actuatingmember 75 is rst moved downwardly, the cam follower 73 will enter theupper end of the helical groove 72 connected to the longitudinal groove71 in which the cam follower was in initially. As the cam follower 73moves downwardly in the helical groove 72, the spindle 69 is rotated anamount corresponding to its lead angle. Thus, once the cam follower 73reaches the bottom of the helical groove 72 and enters the nextlongitudinal groove 71, the spindle 69 will have been rotated 90 fromits original position. Rotation of the spindle 69 thereby produces acorresponding rotation of the sample-receiving tubes 6 6 so as to bringthe next empty tube into alignment with the bottom end of the guide tube70.

It will be recognized that unless particular measures are taken,downward movement of the actuating member 75 would not necessarilyresult in the cam follower 73 returning to the bottom of the spindle 69by way of the appropriate helical groove 72. Similarly, upward travel ofthe reciprocating actuating member 75 could just as well cause the camfollower 73 to move to the upper end of the spindle 69 by way of ahelical groove 72 rather than by way of a longitudinal groove 71.

Accordingly, abutments are provided to insure that the cam follower 73will always travel along a longitudinal groove 71 when moving upwardlyand return downwardly through the next adjacent helical groove 72. Toprovide these abutments, the bottom surface of each of the longitudinalgrooves 71 is sloped upwardly from a maximum groove depth at the bottomof the spindle 69 and radially outwardly to a minimum depth near the topof the spindle that is still sufficient to leave lateral side walls inthese grooves. On the other hand, the bottom surfaces of the helicalgrooves 72 are all sloped downwardly from a maximum groove depth at thetop of the spindle 69 and radially outwardly to a minimum depth near thebottom of the spindle that also leaves helical grooves. As seen inFIGURES 6, 9 and l0, these alternate groove arrangements will leaveabrupt surfaces, as at 78 and 79, which define abutments at the upperand lower junctions of the grooves 71 and 72 respectively.

In this manner, when the cam follower 73 is in the bottom of one of thelongitudinal grooves 71, the abrupt surface 7S across the lower end ofthe associated helical groove 72 will prevent the cam follower fromentering that helical groove and compel the cam follower to instead moveup the longitudinal groove as the actuating member is pulled upwardly.As the cam follower 73 approaches the upper end of the longitudinalgroove 71 it is then in, the spring-biased follower will be urged intothe deeper portion of the adjacent helical groove 72 once the camfollower passes the abrupt surface 79 at the upper end of theseconnected grooves 71 and 72. The cam follower 73 is, therefore,prevented from re-entering the longitudinal groove 71 it just left bythe abrupt surface 79. When the actuating member 75 is again moveddownwardly, the cam follower 73 can, therefore, return to the bottom ofthe spindle 69 only by way of the helical groove 72 it is then in.

Accordingly, each full reciprocation of the actuating member 75 willrotate the spindle 69 a partial revolution (90 in the above-describedembodiment) and produce a corresponding rotation of the sample-receivingtubes 66. Thus, the sample-receiving tubes 66 will be successivelyindexed a predetermined portion of a revolution each time the cuttingwheels 35 complete a full cycle of operation.

As previously mentioned, the actuating member 75 is detachably coupledto the depending probe 77 and, once released therefrom, is releasablylatched to the housing 28 to hold the cam follower 73 at the top of itstravel until the actuating member is again reeoupled to the probe. Toaccomplish this, the opposed ends of the actuating member 75 and probe77 are formed as shown in FIGURE 8 to provide a socket 30 in the lowerend of the probe adapted to receive a complementally shaped head 81 onthe upper end of the actuating member. A hooked nger 82 depending fromthe lower end of the probe 77 along one side of the socket is adaptedfor reception in a complementary notch 83 on one side of the head 81.Thus, whenever the probe 77 is pulled upwardly by the enclosure 37, thehooked nger 82 will be co-engaged with the notched head 81 and pull theactuating member 75 upwardly along with it.

As the cam follower 73 approaches the upper limit of its travel withrespect to the spindle 69 (FIGURE 10), the upper portion of theactuating member 75 enters a cornplementary passage 84 in the housing 27which is sufficiently close to engage an inwardly projecting bowedspring 85 along the inner surface of the actuating member and urge thehead 81 on the actuating member laterally outwardly. The looseconnection at 86 between the actuating member 75 and sliding block 74allows the actuating member to pivot about an inwardly directed shoulder87 on the inner wall of the housing 28. This pivotal movement of theactuating member 75 shifts the head 81 outwardly suciently to disengagethe hooked nger S2 from the notch 83. Once the finger 82 clears thenotch 83, the probe 77 will then be free to move on upwardly with theenclosure 37.

To hold the cam follower 73 at the top of its travel, the outer edges ofthe actuating member 75 are each cut 9 away or notched, as shown at 88in FIGURE 8, with these notches being arranged to receive an inwardlydirected shoulder 89 on the housing 28. The notches 88 leave anintervening rib or spline 90 which is received in a complementary groove91 in the shoulder 89 (FIGURE 9). The spring 85 will at this time stillbe confined in the housing passage 84 to maintain the actuating member75 in its slightly inclined position as shown in FIGURE 10.

When ever the enclosure 37 again moves downwardly and the probe 77approaches the socket 80 on the upper end of the actuating member 75,one face 92 of the socket will engage the opposed face 93 of the head 81to shift the actuating member back to its vertical position and, in sodoing, disengage the notches 88 from the housing shoulder 89. Then, oncethe notches 88 are disengaged, the finger 82 will again be engaged inthe head notch 83 and the actuating member 75 will be moved downwardlyrelative to the spindle 69. This downward movement of the actuatingmember 75 will, of course, shift the cam rfollower 73 back down throughone of the inclined spindle grooves 72 to rotate the spindle 69 aportion of a revolution and bring another sample-receiving tu'be 66 intoalignment with the guide tube 70.

Turning now to FIGURES 11A and 11B, the two sample receivers 29 and 30of the present invention are shown. Since the receivers 29 and 30 areidentical, the same reference numerals will be used when describing thecommon parts of both and a suix of a and b to the numbers will be usedto respectively designate the upper and lower receiver in particular.The receivers 29 and 30 include the tandemly connected housings 68a and68b respectively enclosing the sample-receiving tubes 66a and 66b thatare uniformly spaced about the longitudinal axes of the receivers. Anelongated shaft 67a is rotatably mounted in the upper housing 68abetween the tubes 66a and has its upper end coupled Eby means, such as atongue-an'd-groove arrangement 94a, to the lower end of a universal-joint and shaft arrangement 95 connected to the lo'wer end of thespindle 69. Similarly, an elongated shaft 67b is also rotatably mountedalong the longitudinal axis of the lower housing 68h and has its upperend coupled to the lower end of the upper shaft 67a by clutch means 96apreferably mounted in the lower portion of the upper housing 68a.

As will subsequently become more apparent, when the first of the samples23 are cut away from the earth forrnation 24, it will fall through theopening 36 in the intermediate housing 27 (FIGURE 2), through thetubular guide 70 (FIGURE 6) and one 97a of the tubes 66a in the upperreceiver 29 (FIGURE 11A), and on into one of the tubes 97b in the lowerreceiver 30 (FIGURE 11B). Then, as previously explained, as theenclosure 37 is returned to its initial position shown in FIGURE 2, themotion-translating means 65 (FIGURE 6) will be actuated torotate theshafts 67a and 67b (FIGURE 11A and 111B) to index the next one of thesample-receiving tubes 66b into position to receive the next formationsample 23.

This is repeated until a formation sample has been positioned in each ofthe four sample-receiving tubes 66b in the lower receiver 30. Once thelower receiver 30 is filled, the clutch means 97a are operativelyshifted to discontinue further rotation of the lower shaft 67b and tocouple the upper shaft 67a to the upper sample-receiving tubes 66a. Thislatter action will then allow the upper sample-receiving tubes 66a to besequentially indexed into position to successively receive a formationsample as each is freed by subsequent operation of the tool 20.

Accordingly, to accomplish the above-described operation, the lower endsof each of the sample-receiving tubes 66 are secured to the upper faceof a circular support plate 98 that is free to rotate relative to thereceiver housing 68 and is supported therein by another plate 99 itselfsecured to the housing. The lower portion of the shaft 67 is rotatablymounted on the tube-support plate 98,

with the lower end of this shaft extending on through the tube-supportplate and an enlarged axial opening in the xed plate 99. The upper endof the shaft 67 is rotatably mounted in a support plate 101 secured tothe sample-receiving tubes 66. Thus, except as will be subsequentlyexplained, the shaft 67 is free to rotate with rcspect to thesample-receiving tubes 66.

Although the upper ends of all four of the samplereceiving tubes 66 areopen, the lower ends of three of these tubes are permanently closed bythe tube-support plate 98. A substantial portion of the lower end of theother tube 97 is, however, cut away to leave a transverse gap, as at102, between the tube and the upper face of the tube-support plate 98.An opening 103 is located through the plate 98 immediately below and inalignment with the one tube 97. A closure member 104 (FIGURE 12) that isrotatably mounted around the shaft 67 and slidably supported on theupper face of the tube-support plate 98 is so arranged that, whenactuated, it will pivot around the shaft and move into the gap 102.Thus, as will subsequently be explained, once the closure member 104 hasbeen moved into the gap 102, it will block communication between theopening 103 in the tube-support plate 98 and the lower end of the tube97 secured thereabove. In the initial position of the upper receiver 29(as shown in FIGURE 11A), the opening 103g in the rotatable tube-supportplate 98a is, however, aligned with a similar eccentrically locatedopening 105a in the fixed plate 99a therebelow and the closure member104a is displaced away from the opening 10361.

The clutch means 96 include a rotatable circular plate 106 having anaxial opening 107 through which the lower end of the shaft 67 extendsand an eccentrically located opening 108. A short tubular member 109 issecured in the axial opening 107 and extended downwardly a shortdistance below the clutch plate 106 and around the lower end of theshaft 67. Another short tubular member or guide tube 110 is preferablymounted around the eccentric opening 108 and also extended downwardlybelow the clutch plate 106. The clutch means 96 also include abifurcated member 111 (see also FIGURE 14) having a transverse offsetportion 112 that connects two upright tubular portions Aor legs 113(only one seen in FIGURE 11A) having their upper ends 114 straddling theaxial opening 107 and engaged with the lower face of the clutch plate106.

To support the clutch member 111, means, such as elongated bolts 11S orthe like, are passed through the tubular legs 113 of the clutch memberand, after passing through appropriately arranged arcuate slots 116(both seen in FIGURE 14) on opposite sides of the axial opening 107 inthe clutch plate 106 and through the large axial opening 100 in theIixed plate 99, are secured to the tube-support plate 98 thereabove.Compression springs 117 (only one seen in FIGURE 11A) are disposed in acounterbore 118 in each tubular leg 113 and held in compression byspring retainers 119 between the heads of the bolts and the lowersurface of the clutch member 111. It will be appreciated, therefore,that by making the width of the arcuate slots 116 smaller than thediameter of the upper ends 114 of the tubular legs 113, the springs 117will normally urge the bifurcated clutch member 111 against the lowerface of the clutch plate 106 so as to urge this plate firmly against thelower face of the fixed plate 99.

The transverse portion 112 of the bifurcated clutch member 111 rotatablysupports a short shaft 120 that is axially aligned between the lower andupper ends of the shafts 67a and 67b, respectively, in the receivers 29and 30. The clutch shaft 120 is releasably coupled to each of theseshafts 67a and 67b by means such as tongue-andgroove arrangements 121aand 122a. Of particular significance, these tongue-andgroovearrangements 121a and 12241 are so arranged that so long as the clutchshaft 120a is in the position shown in FIGURE 11A, the two shafts 6711and 67b are releasably interconnected by the clutch shaft. On the otherhand, as will subsequently become apparent, once the clutch member 11111is moved upwardly to shift the clutch shaft 12011 a sufficient distanceto disengage the lower tongue-and-groove arrangements 12211, the lowershaft 67b will no longer be coupled to the upper shaft 67a.

It will be appreciated, of course, that to deposit the formation samples23 in the sample-receiving tubes 66h in the lower receiver 30, the tworotatable plates 98a and 10611 must be appropriately oriented so as toalign their respective eccentric openings 10311 and 10811 with theeccentrically located opening 10511 in the fixed plate 99a. Toaccomplish this, the tube-support plate 9811 is releasably secured tothe fixed plate 9911 by latch means such as a resilient finger 12311that is secured to the fixed plate and has a free end that is receivedin a shallow recess 12511 in the lower face of the tube-support plate.Thus, until sufficient torque is applied to the tubesupport plate 9811to free the latch finger 12311 from the recess 12511, the open sampletube 9711 will be so oriented that it and the openings 10311 and 10811will be aligned with the tubular guide '70 in the housing 28 above(FIGURE 6) and the opening 10511 in the fixed plate 9911.

It will be appreciated that the lower sample-receiving tubes 66b needonly to be brought sequentially into alignment with the openings 10311,10511 and 10811 to receive a formation sample as it falls through thesamplereceiving tube 9711. Thus, if the lower receiver 30 was intendedto always be in that position, the lower ends of the sample-receivingtubes 66b and shaft 67b could be simply journalled to the housing 6811.In the interest of interchangeability, however, it is preferred to makethe lower receiver 30 identical to the upper receiver 29. Thus, as seenin FIGURE 11B, the lower receiver 30 is identical to the upper receiver29 except that its lower end is preferably capped, as at 126.

It will be realized, therefore, that the lower samplereceiving tubes 66bmust be co-rotatively secured to the lower shaft 67b for the tubes to besequentially moved into position to receive formation samples 23. Thus,before the tool 20 is lowered into the borehole 22, the clutch means 96bin the lower receiver 30 are manually set into their shaft-engagingposition as shown in FIG- URE 11B.

Upon setting lthe lower clutch means 96h in their shaftengagingposition, the clutch plate 106b will be rotated (preferably 90) to bringthe upper ends 114b of the tubular legs 113]; of the clutch member 11111into alignment with enlarged openings 12711 at one end of each 1 of thearcuate slots 116b in the clutch plate. Once the enlarged openings 127bare aligned with the two legs 113b, the springs 117b will shift theclutch member 111k upwardly and move the upper ends 11411 of the legsinto these enlarged openings. Extensions 128b on the spring retainers119 will be carried upwardly against the lower face of the clutch plate106b and prevent any upward movement of the upper receiving tubes 6611and shaft 6711 relative to the clutch member 111b (as by a sudden jerkof the tool 20) from inadvertently disengaging the tongueand-groovearrangement 12111. This will, of course, corotatively secure thebifurcated clutch member 111b to the clutch plate 106b and, by virtue ofthe bolts 115b, to the tube-support plate 9811 as well. The two plates98h and 10611 and the clutch member 111b are, however, free to rotaterelative to the fixed platev 99h since the bolts 115b and tubular legs113b are extended through the larger axial opening 100b in the fixedplate. As the clutch member 11111 is shifted upwardly, the clutch shaft120b will also move upwardly and, in so doing, will move lateral lugs129b on the clutch shaft into downwardly-opening complementary notches130b on opposite sides of the short axially located tube secured to theclutch plate 106b. Thus, since the clutch shaft 120b is co-rotativelysecured to the lower shaft 67b by their associated tongue-and-groovearrangement 12111, rotation of the lower shaft will be transmittedthrough the clutch shaft and its lugs 129b to both the clutch plate 106band tube-support plate 98b. Accordingly, so long as the clutch means9611 (FIGURE 11A) thereabove are disengaged, the lower sample-receivingtubes 66h will be sequentially indexed into position to receive aformation sample 23 each time the enclosure 37 (FIGURE 2) is returned toits initial position.

By initially positioning the receivers 29 and 30 in their positionsshown in FIGURES 11A and 11B, the rst of the formation samples 23 willbe free to fall from the longitudinal opening 36 (FIGURE 2) through thehousing 28 (FIGURE 6) and upper sample-receiving tube 97a and on intothe corresponding lower sample-receiving tube 9711 Where the closedclosure member 104b therebelow will halt it. The releasable latch finger123b on the lower receiver 30 lwill initially hold the firstsamplereceiving tube 97b in position until the sample-receiving tubes66b are indexed to their next position by operation of themotion-translating means 65.

Once the fourth formation sample 23 is collected, it is, of course,necessary to close-off the lower receiver 30 and begin depositingsubsequent formation samples into the upper receiver 29. This willrequire actuation of the upper clutch means 9611 so as to co-rotativelysecure the upper shaft 6711 to the upper sample-receiving tubes 6611.The upper closure member 10411 must also be moved into position to blockoff the opening 103@ in the tubesupport plate 9811.

To accomplish this, a short rod 13111 is dependently mounted from theupper clutch plate 10611 at an eccentric location thereon and extendeddownwardly. As best seen in FIGURE 13, this short rod 13111 ispreferably located adjacent to one side of the opening 10811 through theclutch plate 10611. It will be realized, therefore, that by shifting theshort rod 13111 through an arc of the clutch plate 10611 Will be rotateda corresponding amount so as to bring the enlarged openings 12711 at theends of the arcuate slots 11611 in the clutch plate into alignment -withthe free ends 114a of the tubular legs 11311 of the clutch member 11111.As it is moved, the clutch plate 10611 will rotate with respect to thebifurcated clutch member 11111 which is to this point still heldstationary by virtue of the bolts 11511 and the restraint of the latchiinger 12311.

To move the short rod 13111, an elongated rod 132b is secured to thetube-support plate 98b (FIGURE 11B) at a position thereon that isdisplaced 270 away from the angular position of the short rod 13111 whenthe sample receivers 29 and 30 are in their initial positions. Thus,when the lower sample-receiving tubes 66b are first moved afterreceiving the first formation sample 23, the elongated rod 132b will bemoved to a second position 180 away from the short rod 13111. After thethird sample has been collected, the elongated rod 132b will have beenrotated 270 to a position where one side of its upper end now contactsthe adjacent side of the lower end of the short rod 13111. Then, afterthe fourth formation sample 23 has been collected, as the enclosure 37again returns to its initial position (FIGURE 2), the elongated rod 132bwill be further rotated toward its initial angular position and, in sodoing, will turn the short rod 13111 to index the clutch plate 10611 90to its other position for disengaging the clutch means 96a (FIGURE 11A).As the clutch plate 10611 is turned, a `bolt 13311 extending through theenlarged axial opening 10011 and eccentrically secured to both theclutch plate 10611 and closure member 104a is arranged to rotate theclosure member 90 to a position in the gap 10211 for blocking the lowerend of the open sample-receiving tube 9711.

The clutch shaft 12011 in the upper clutch means 96a is, therefore,simultaneously shifted upwardly (by the springs 11711) along with thelbifurcated clutch member 11111. As the clutch shaft 12011 shiftsupwardly, the lateral lugs 129a thereon will be received indownwardly-opening notches 130a on the axial tube 109a. These clutchshaft lugs 129a are, of course, appropriately oriented so that as theclutch shaft 12011 is making its fourth incremental turn, the lugs willbe in alignment with the notches 130a. It will be appreciated also thatonce the clutch shaft 120a is shifted lupwardly by the clutch member111a, the clutch shaft will be uncoupled from the lower shaft 67b butwill remain coupled to the upper shaft 66a by the tongue-and-groovearrangement 121a.

Once the upper clutch means 96a are actuated, the upper shaft 67a willnow be co-rotatively secured to the tu'be-support plate 98a. The closuremember 104a will also now `block the lower end of the opensample-receiving tube 97a. Thus, when the fifth formation sample 23 iscut free, it will also fall into the sample-receiving tube 97a but willbe captured therein. Then, as the enclosure 37 is again returned to itsinitial position, the motiontranslating means 65 (FIGURE 6') will nowindex the next one of the sample-receiving tubes 66a into position toreceive the sixth formation sample. The same operation will take placeto capture the seventh and eighth samples. l

It will be appreciated, of course, that any number of receivers, such as29 and 30, can be employed to collect additional formation samples. If,for example, a third receiver (not shown) is connected above the upperreceiver 29, the first eight samples will be successively collected asalready described. Then, after the eighth sample is collected, access tothe second receiver 29 will be blocked and the third and now uppermostreceiver will be brought into play in the same manner as alreadydescribed with reference to the second receiver.

It will be recognized, of course, that it is desirable to have someindication at the surface of the progress of the cutting wheels 35during the course of a sample-recovering operation. Even though thegroove system depicted in FIGURE 4 does not necessarily require that theexact position of the cutting wheels 35 be known at all times, suchknowledge is nevertheless of obvious benefit to an operator at thesurface.

Accordingly, as best seen in FIGURE 2, to provide indications at thesurface representative of the longitudinal positions of the cuttingwheels 35 in relation to the housing 27, an elongated tapered ramp 134is secured to the housing in a convenient position that parallels theelongated rods 39. This tapered ramp 134 is suitably arranged to contact`the outer end of a laterally movable actuator 135 that is connected toa potentiometer 136 in the enclosure 37, With the actuator extendingthrough a suitable fluid seal (not shown) in the enclosure wall.

Thus, at all longitudinal positions of the enclosure 37 in relation tothe housing 27 and the tapered ramp 134, the actuator 135 Will assumecorresponding lateral positions that are directly related to thedistance between the particular point where the actuator is in contactwith the ramp and either end of the ramp. It will be recognized, ofcourse, that the resistance between the moving contact 137 and one endof lthe potentiometer 136 will vary in accordance with the movement ofits actuator 135, with this resistance being directly related to thelongitudinal distance between the present position of the enclosure 37and its initial position as shown in FIGURE 2. This resistance will, ofcourse, be constantly varied as the enclosure 37 moves in eitherdirection in relation to the housing 27.

The varying resistance of the potentiometer 136 as the enclosure 37moves in turn regulates electronic means 138 as shown in FIGURE 1S toprovide an indication of the present position of the cutting Wheels 35at any given time. Inasmuch as this circuit 138 is more fully explainedin a copending application Serial No. 649,978 filed concurrently withthe present application, it is believed necessary only to describe thiscircuit only so far as to shown its general relation to the presentinvention.

In general, therefore, the circuit 138 seen in FIGURE 15 is arranged toprovide repetitive electrical pulses at the surface that have a pulserate representative of the present longitudinal position of the cuttingwheels 35 in relation to the housing 27. As the cut-ting wheels 35change position in relation to the housing 27, the rate of these pulseswill also change to provide a detectable indication at the surfacecharacteristic of the new position of the cutting wheels.

To accomplish this, the potentiometer 136 is connected across aconstant-voltage power supply 139 and its movable contact 137 isconnected to the input of a typical so-called constant-current amplifier140 to provide a voltage-divider circuit with an output voltage directlyrelated to the relative position of the movable contact. Since the inputimpedance of the amplifier 140` is constant, the current applied to itsinput will be directly `related to the output voltage of thevoltage-divider circuit.

The current amplifier 140 desirably has a high output impedance so thatthe output current of the amplifier will also be constant for any oneposition of the movable contact 137. Thus, as the input current to theamplifier 146 is varied by the potentiometer 136, the output currentfrom the amplifier will vary accordingly, but will be constant for anysingle position of the movable contact 137 and, thus, be directlyrelated to the present position of the actuator on the ramp 134. Acapacitor 141 connected across the output terminals of the amplifier ischarged by this output current, with the rate at which this capacitor ischarged being, of course, directly proportional to the magnitude of theoutput current from the amplifier.

The capacitor 141 and amplifier 140 are connected to the input of atypical voltage comparator 142. A reference voltage for the comparator142 is derived from the constant-voltage power supply 139 by way of apair of serially-connected resistors 143 and 144. The comparator 142will generate a DC output signal Whenever the input Sgnal thereto equalsthe reference voltage which energizes a normally-open gate 145 arrangedto shunt the capacitor 141 through a resistor 146. The discharge rate ofthe comparator 141 will, therefore, be a function of the values of theyresistor 146 and the capacitor.

The output signal from the comparator 142 also ener gizes anormally-open gate 147 which then connects the junction between theresistors 143 and 144 through a relatively low-value resistor 148 toground. Closing of the gate 147 will, therefore, decrease the referencevoltage being applied to the comparator 142. Thus, each time the voltageon the capacitou 141 reaches the initial reference voltage of thecomparator 142, an output signal is developed by the comparator whichcontinues until the capacitor has been discharged (by the resistor 146)to reach a voltv age equal to the now-lower reference voltage of thecomparator. At this time, the output signal of the comparator 142 ceasesand re-opens the gates 145 and 147 thus restoring the reference voltageto its initial value.

It can be seen, therefore, that this intermittent operation will producepulses from the voltage comparator 142. The on time of these pulses issubstantially related to the time required for the capacitor 141 to bedischarged from a voltage equal to the high reference voltage initiallyapplied to the comparator 142 to a voltage equal to the low referencevoltage applied thereto. This time is, of course, a function of thecapacitance of the capacitor 141, the resistance of the resistor 146,and the differential between the high and low 4reference voltage-s. Theoff time of the pulses is, however, a function of the magnitude ofcurrent charging the capacitor 141. Thus, it can be seen that thefrequency or pulse rate of the pulses will be proportional to the outputcurrent from the amplifier 140 and, therefore, to the position of themovable contact 137.

The string of output pulses from the comparator 142 are transmittedthrough the suspension cable 21 to a suitable pulse-rate detector 149 atthe surface. The varying DC output of the pulse-rate detector 149 isconnected to an indicator, such as a voltmeter 150, which is suitablycalibrated to provide an indication of the present position of thecutting wheels 35. Thus, in the operation of the present invention, whenthe cutting wheels 35 are in one position, the pulse output of thevoltage comparator 142 will be at a rate characteristic of thisposition. As the cutting wheels 35 move up or down, this pulse rate willcorrespondingly change to provide a different indication on the positionindicator 150 at the surface.

Turning now to the operation of the present invention; as best seen inFIGURE 1, the core-slicing tool 20 is first brought into positionopposite a formation, as at 24, from which a sample is desired. Once thetool 20 is in position, the wall-engaging member 32 is extended to urgethe forward face of the tool against the opposite wall of the borehole22. As best seen in FIGURE 2, the motor for the pump 43 and the motor 46are then started and, once hydraulic pressure is applied to the upperchambers 41, the enclosure 37 will move upwardly in relation to thenow-fixed housing 27. As previously described, the cutting wheels 35Will be progressively moved upwardly through their various positionsA-B-CD as the enclosure 37 moves toward its uppermost position shown inFIGURE 2.

It will be recalled, of course, that the cam follower 73 is at this timemoving upwardly through one of the longitudinal spindle grooves 71 untilthe actuating member 75 is latched to the housing 27 so that no rotationis imparted to the sample-receiving tubes 66. Once the positionindicator 150 indicates that the enclosure 37 is in its uppermostposition, it will be assumed that a formation sample, such as at 23, hasbeen cut and has fallen through the opening 36 and the upper receiver29, and on into the lowermost sample-receiving tube 97b that is then inalignment with the guide tube 70 and the open upper samplereceiving tube97a.

When the enclosure 37 is at its uppermost position, the pump 43 isreversed to relieve the pressure in the upper chamber 41 and increasethe pressure in the lower chamber 42 which allows the enclosure toreturn downwardly to its initial position. The position indicator 150will, of course, serve as a monitor to observe the progress of theenclosure 37. As the enclosure 37 nears its lowermost position, thedepending probe 77 thereon will release the actuating member 75 from'the housing 27 and then move the actuating member downwardly in relationto the spindle 69. This downward movement of the actuating member 75will, of course, carry the cam follower 73 back down through one of thehelical spindle grooves 72 and thereby rotate the sample-receiving tubes66h 90. Once the enclosure 37 has reached its lowermost position,another of the sample-receiving tubes 66b will be aligned with thestill-stationary sample-receiving tube 97a thereabove for reception ofanother formation sample.

The wall-engaging member 32 is retracted and the coreslicing tool 20moved to another position in the borehole 22. Then, once thewall-engaging member 32 is again eX- tended, the above-describedprocedure is repeated. Whenever a sufficient number of formation samplesare btained, the tool 20 is then returned to the surface.

Accordingly, it -will be appreciated that the present invention hasprovided new and improved sample-obtaining means capable of obtaining aplurality of formation samples from earth formations of interest.Moreover, by arranging the sample receivers of the present invention asshown, these formation samples will be segregated from the others andheld securely in a predetermined location for later identification.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shownand described, it is apparent that changes and modifications be madewithout departing from this invention in its broader aspects; and,therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changesand modifications as fall `within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed by aborehole comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formation-sampling means on said support and adapted for repetitivetravel relative thereto between longitudinally-spaced positions, saidformation-sampling means including formation-cutting means adapted forlateral movement relative to said support between a retracted positionand an extended position; means selectively operable from the surfacefor moving said formation-sampling means from one of said spacedpositions to the other of said spaced positions and then returning saidformation-sampling means to said one spaced position; means forselectively moving said cutting means between said retracted andextended positions; a sample receiver on said support adapted forcollecting formation samples obtained by said formation-sampling means;sample-segregating means movably mounted in said sample receiver anddividing said sample receiver into separate compartments; and meansresponsive to repetitive travel of said formation-sampling means forprogressively positioning said sample-segregating means to successivelydispose such formation samples in respective ones of said compartmentsand isolate such formation samples from one another.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sample-segregating meansinclude: a plurality of upright tubular members defining said separatecompartments and respectively adapted to receive a formation sample andmeans rotatably supporting said tubular members in said sample receiverfor rotation therein about a longitudinal axis from an inactive positionto a position for reception of a formation sample; and saidtravel-responsive means include motion-translating means forsuccessively rotating said tubular members one at a time into positionto receive a formation sample in response to repeated travel of saidformation-sampling means between said longitudinallyspaced positions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said travel-responsive means furtherinclude: means releasably connecting said motion-translating means tosaid formation-sampling means for actuation thereby during only aportion of said travel of said formation-sampling means anddisconnecting said motion-translating means from said formationsamplingmeans during the remainder of said travel of said formation-samplingmeans to deactivate said sample-segregating means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said releasable connecting meansinclude: first and second longitudinallymovable members respectivelyconnected to said motiontranslating means and to said formation-Samplingmeans and having mating interconnecting portions adapted to transmitlogitudinal forces but releasable upon relative lateral movementtherebetween, one of said connecting members being free for lateralmovement relative to the other of said connecting members; meansresponsive to longitudinal movement of said one connecting member in onedirection for shifting said one connecting member laterally to releasesaid connecting members whenever said formation-sampling means reach apredetermined position; and means responsive to longitudinal movement ofsaid other connecting member in the other direction for returning saidone connecting member into position to reconnect said connecting memberswhenever said formation-sampling means return to said predeterminedposition.

5. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed by aborehole comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formation-sampling means on said support and adapted for travel relativethereto between longitudinally-spaced positions to obtain samples ofearth formations adjacent thereto; means for collecting formationsamples obtained by said formationsampling means and segregatingindividual samples from one another including a sample receiver on saidsupport, and a plurality of upright members in said sample receiver andrespectively adapted for successive movement therein from an inactiveposition to an active position for respectively isolating a formationsample; and motiontranslating means for successively moving said membersone at a time into their said active positions in response to travel ofsaid formation-sampling means between said spaced positions.

6. The apparatus of claim wherein: said upright members include separatetubular compartments respectively adapted to receive a formation sample;means rotatably supporting said tubular compartments for progressiverotation in said sample receiver about a longitudinal axis from theirsaid inactive positions to their said active positions for successivereception of formation samples; and said motion-translating means areadapted for successively rotating said tubular compartments into theirsaid active positions in response to repeated travel of saidformation-sampling means between said spaced positions.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said sample receiver includes: rstand second tubular housings tandemly connected to one another; saidupright members include iirst and second groups of tubular compartmentsin said tubular housings respectively, each of said tubular compartmentsbeing adapted to receive a for-mation sample; first and second meansrotatably supporting said rst and second groups of compartments in theirrespective tubular housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, eachof said tubular compartments being rotatable about said axis from saidinactive positions to said active positions for reception of a formationsample; said motion-translating means being responsive to travel of saidformation-sampling means for providing rotative torque; rst clutch meansfor selectively coupling said motion-translating means to said tirstrotatable support means to successively bring each of said rst tubularcompartments into its said active position to receive a formationsample; and second clutch means for selectively coupling saidmotiontranslating means to said second rotatable support means tosuccessively bring each of said second tubular compartments into itssaid active position to receive a formation sample.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including: means responsive torotation of said first tubular compartments to a predetermined positionfor uncoupling said first clutch means to halt further rotation of saidfirst tubular compartments and for coupling said second clutch means toinitiate rotation of said second tubular compartments upon furthertravel of said formation-sampling means.

9. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations comprising: asupport adapted .for suspension in a borehole; formation-sampling meanson said support including motive means adapted for travel relative tosaid support between longitudinally-spaced positions, formation-cuttingmeans adapted for lateral movement relative to said support between aretracted position and an extended position, and power-transmissionmeans operatively connecting said formation-cutting means and saidmotive means; means for selectively moving said cutting means betweensaid retracted and extended positions; and pressureresponsive meansselectively operable from the surface for moving said motive means fromone of said spaced positions to the other of said spaced positions andthen returning said motive means to said one spaced position, saidpressure-responsive means including an elongated member secured to saidsupport and having a longitudinal central portion extending parallel tothe direction of travel of said motive means, a tubular member slidablydisposed around said central portion of said elongated member andconnected to said motive means, means tiuidly sealing spaced portions ofsaid tubular member to said elongated member to define an enclosed spacetherebetween, piston means on said central portion of said elongatedmember and uidly sealed t0 said tubular member to divide said enclosedspace into upper and lower uid chambers, and means operable from thesurface for selectively developing a greater pressure in one of said uidchambers than that in the other of said fluid chambers to move saidmotive means in one direction and for selectively developing a greaterpressure in said other uid chamber than that in said one uid chamber tomove said motive means in the opposite direction.

10. 'I'he apparatus of claim 9 wherein said selectivelyoperablepressure-developing means are connected to said motive means.

11. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed by aborehole' comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formation-sampling means on said support and adapted for travel relativethereto between longitudinally-spaced positions, said formation-samplingmeans including formation-cutting means adapted for lateral movementrelative to said support between a retracted position and an extendedposition; pressure-responsive means for reciprocating saidformation-sampling means between said spaced positions; means for movingsaid formation-cutting means between said retracted and extendedpositions; and means on said support adapted for successively-collecting samples obtained by said formation-sampling means andsegregating such formation samples from one another.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said sample- Collecting andsegregating means include: a plurality of upright members definingseparate compartments respectively adapted to receive a formationsample; means supporting said upright members for movement from aninactive position to a position for reception of a formation sample; andmotion-translating means for successively moving said upright membersone at a time into position to receive a formation sample in response toreciprocation of said formation-sampling means between saidlongitudinally-spaced positions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including: means releasablyconnecting said motion-translating means to said formation-samplingmeans for actuation thereby during only a portion of said reciprocationof said formationsampling means and disconnecting saidmotion-translating means from said formation-sampling means during theremainder of said reciprocation of said formationsampling means todeactivate said sample-collecting and segregating means.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said samplecollecting andsegregating means include a sample receiver adapted for collectingsuccessive samples obtained by said formation-cutting means and at leastone member movably disposed in said sample receiver for movement thereinfrom an inactive position to an active position for segregatingsuccessively-collected samples from one another; and further includingmotion-translating means for moving said segregating member to its saidactive position in response to reciprocation of said formation-samplingmeans between said longitudinally-spaced positions.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further including means releasablyconnecting said motion-translating means to said formation-samplingmeans for actuation thereby during only a portion of said reciprocationof said formation-sampling means and disconnecting saidmotiontranslating means from said formation-sampling means during theremainder of said reciprocation of said formation-sampling means todeactivate said sample-collecting and segregating means.

16. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations comprising: asupport adapted for suspension in a borehole; formation-sampling meanson said support including motive means adapted for rectilinear travelrelative to said support between longitudinally-spaced positions,formation-cutting means adapted for lateral movement relative to saidsupport between a retracted position and an extended position, andpower-transmission means operatively connecting said formation-cuttingmeans and said motive means; means operable from the surface moving saidformation-cutting means between said retracted and extended positions;pressure-responsive means operable from the surface for repetitivelyreciprocating said motive means between said spaced positions; a samplereceiver dependently coupled to said support and adapted to receivesuccessive formation samples obtained by said formation-cutting means;at least one movable dividing member operatively disposed in said samplereceiver for movement therein to isolate successively-obtained formationsamples from one another; and motion-translating means operativelyconnected between said formationsampling means and said movable dividingmember and responsive to reciprocation of said formation-sampling meansfor moving said movable member to a selected position to isolate a firstformation sample before a second formation sample is obtained.

17. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed by aborehole comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formation-sampling means on said support and adapted for reciprocatingmovement relative thereto between longitudinally-spaced positions toobtain samples of earth formations adjacent thereto; andsample-collecting means including separate compartments respectivelyadapted to receive a formation sample, means supporting saidcompartments for successive movement of each of said compartments froman inactive position to a position adapted for reception of a formationsample, and motion-translating means for successively moving saidcompartments one at a time into position to receive a formation samplein response to reciprocation of said formation-sampling means betweensaid spaced positions.

18. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed by aborehole comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formationsampling means on said support and adapted for reciprocatingmovement relative thereto between longitudinally-spaced positions toobtain samples of earth formations adjacent thereto; andsample-collecting means including separate compartments respectivelyadapted to receive a formation sample, means rotatably supporting saidcompartments for rotation about a longitudinal axis from an inactiveposition to a position adapted for reception of a formation sample, andmotion-translating means for successively rotating said compartments oneat a time into position to receive a formation sample in response toreciprocation of said formation-sampling means between said positions.

19. Apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations traversed lby aborehole and comprising: a support adapted for suspension in a borehole;formation-cutting means on said support and adapted for travel relativethereto between longitudinally-spaced positions as well as for lateralmovement relative to said support between retracted and extendedpositions; pressure-responsive means on said support and selectivelyoperable from the surface for repetitively reciprocating saidformation-cutting means between said longitudinally-spaced positions;means responsive to travel of said formation-cutting means lbetween saidlongitudnally-spaced positions for selectively moving saidformation-cutting means between said retracted and extended positions; asample receiver on said support below said formation-cutting means andadapted for successively collecting formation samples obtained by saidformation-cutting means; sample-segregating means operatively disposedin said sample receiver defining spaced compartments therein and adaptedfor movement in said sample receiver between inactive and activepositions for progressively segregating such successively-collectedsamples in said compartments; and means responsive to repeated travel ofsaid formation-cutting means between said longitudinally-spacedpositions for successively moving said sample-segregating means to saidactive positions.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein: said upright members are tubularmembers open at their upper ends and respectively sized to receive oneof such formation samples; said first means include a supporting memberrotatably mounted in said sample receiver and carrying said uprighttubular members for rotation within said sample receiver; and saidmotion-translating means include a rotatable cam member journaled onsaid sample receiver, a shaft intercoupling said rotatable cam memberand said rotatable supporting member, and cam means including a camfollower coupled to said formation-cutting means for reciprocationthereby and operatively engaged with cam surfaces operatively formed onsaid cam member to rotate said cam member upon reciprocation of said camfollower.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein: said samplesegregating meansinclude a plurality of upright members dividing said sample receiverinto said spaced compartments; and said travel-responsive means includefirst means operatively mounted in said sample receiver forprogressively moving said upright members to said active positions, andmotion-translating means operatively coupling said first means and saidformation-cutting means and adapted for progressively moving each ofsaid upright members to its said active position upon successivereciprocations of said formation-cutting means.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said travel-responsive meansfurther include: means releasably connecting said motion-translatingmeans to said formationcutting means for actuation thereby during only aportion of said travel of said formation-cutting means and disconnectingsaid motion-translating means from said formation-cutting means duringthe remainder of said travel of said formation-cutting means todeactivate said samplesegregating means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,327,023 8/1943 Danner 175-78 X2,599,405 6/ 1952 Mennecier 175--78 X 2,896,913 7/1959 Holmes et al175--78 X 3,154,147 10/1964 Lanmon l66-55.1 3,173,500 3/1965 Stuart etal 175-78 X 3,386,522 6/1968 Knupke 175-311 3,405,772 10/ 1968Wisenbaker et al. 175--311 X DAVID H. BROWN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

